Shoes are commonly equipped with laces to secure the shoes. Each shoelace typically passes through a series of holes, eyelets, loops or hooks on either side of the shoe. Using the lacing allows the shoe to open wide enough for the foot to be inserted or removed. Tightening the lacing and tying off the ends secures the foot within the shoe.
Laceless shoes have been developed to dispense with tightening the laces after the shoe has been put on. On the one hand, this simplifies the handling of the shoe; on the other hand, a laceless shoe may be beneficial in particular if it is an athletic shoe like for example a soccer shoe, where a smooth surface is desired to allow for better control of the ball.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,497 discloses a sports shoe having a central cut of material in the vamp section, from the vicinity of the toe to the top of the vamp which has a series of strips that remain connected to each other in a standard section of elastic material connected to these by means of a sewing, while being able to separate from each other when required to do so upon putting on or taking off the shoe.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,650 describes a laceless athletic shoe lacking both the laces and a tongue. The upper includes an integral, elastic area that expands to receive the wearer's foot and contracts to conform to the wearer's ankle thereafter. Combined with a cinching system positioned across the top of the foot, this elastic area secures the shoe about the wearer's foot.
WO 2014/130319 discloses an article of footwear including an upper, a sole, and a strap attached at one end to the medial side of the footwear, either at the side of the upper or at the sole, and attached at the other end to the lateral side of the footwear, either at the side of the upper or at the sole. The strap includes a layer made of reactive material. This layer is referred to as a “reactive layer”. The reactive layer is constrained from expanding outwards. When a person wearing the footwear engages in an activity, such as leaping or accelerating, that puts the strap under increased longitudinal tension, the reactive layer increases its thickness and/or width and thus more firmly holds the footwear onto the foot.
EP 2 316 292 A1 describes a boot for football (e.g. five- or seven-a-side football) comprising a sole, an upper associated to the sole which extends substantially continuously in order to cover, in use, at least the instep, the sides of the foot at the back of the heel, and has an upper edge which defines an opening for insertion of the foot. The upper comprises a rear insert which in use covers the back of the heel, which insert is made of a foldable and/or yielding material destined to be folded towards the inside of the boot in order to enable insertion of the foot into the boot from the rear part of the boot and a front insert which in use covers the instep, also made of a yielding material destined to bind the upper part of the boot uniformly without use of laces and loops and improving comfort and foot-to-ball sensitivity.
WO 2014/070018 discloses a soccer boot comprising slits where the closing mechanism is formed by a strip of elastic material that covers the slit and is attached to the shaft material. For wider feet, the elastic material will stretch during use, but a proper choice of the elastic material will ensure a snug fit of the boot to the foot. However, other closing mechanisms, such as a lace, can also be made to function satisfactory.
However, the laceless shoes known in the prior art have several disadvantages. Often, they do not provide the desired support to the foot which wearers are used to from shoes with laces. Good support of the foot is particularly crucial for athletic shoes, and more particularly for shoes for sports involving cutting movements (e.g. soccer, football, rugby, etc.), as the forces applied to the shoe by the wearer are high. Shoes of the prior art may lead to a higher risk of twisting the ankle, in particular during cutting movements, and at least give a wrong feeling to the wearer of not being properly supported. Furthermore, some laceless shoes known in the prior art are very difficult to put on or take off.